Control for fire extinguishing apparatus



Oct. 11, 1932. .M. A. LASWELL 1,881,709

CONTROL FOB FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l WZ'W Oct. 11, 1932. M. A. LASWELL I 1,881,709

CONTROL FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f 0 k 2 J/ 71/11 I Will! III/III/IIIIIIIIII/IIIII/l\ 1|||||||||||||||||m k 2E Z0 b' Oct. 11, 1932. M. A. LASWELL 1,881,709

CONTROL FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed April 16. 1929 3 SheetsSheet 5 W ////6/7/0/ W/WMAH ash 6W Patented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention has to do with a control for fire-extinguishing apparatus, and it is a general object of the Invention to provide an effective, dependable, and commercially Ipractical control for a plurality of umts of re-extinguishing apparatus whereby the units of apparatus may be 0 erated or set into operatlon successively wit suitable time intervals between operatlons.

Certain gases for example, carbon dioxide gas, have been ound effective in extinguishing fires and in preventing fires where parts become overheated. It has been found that an atmosphere containing a certain percentage 0 carbon dioxide gas will not support combustion, even though temperatures may be high. It is therefore deslrable in controlling fire by carbon dioxide gas to establish an atmosphere containing suflicient carbon dioxide gas to prevent combustion and to maintain such atmosphere until such time as the dangers of fire have been .eliminated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus whereb gas or other fire extinguis ing gas may be discharged in such manner or 1n such quantity as to extinguish or prevent a fire and to thereafter, at suitable, timed intervals, discharge further amounts of gas so that fire will not recur or start.

It is an object of this invention to rovide apparatus of the character mentione which is automatic in operation and which will dependably control a, plurality of units of fire extinguishing apparatus so that a fire can be extinguished and/or controlled wholly without manual operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the character mentioned with various control features whereby it is automatically put into operation and is automatically taken out of operation when certain predetermined conditionsexist. For instance, the apparatus may be put into operation through thermally-controlled means and may be taken out of operation after a predetermined number of units have been discharged.

The various objects and features of my incarbon dioxide b vention will .be best and more fully understood from the followin detailed descri tion of a ty ical form an ap lication of t e invention, t roughout which escri tion reference is had to the accompanying swings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the principal working parts of the apparatus provided by this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlar detailed sectional view taken as indicated y line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fi 3 is an enlar ed detailed sectional view ta en as indicate by line 33 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the present invention being a view illustrating a typical electrical circuit embodying the invention. Fig. 5 is a detail view of parts in the relay. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the apparatus connected with an area or space'to be protected. Fig. 7 is a view of the upper portion of a container and control head.

The present invention is in the nature of a control for fire-extinguishing apparatus and may be embodied in various forms and may .used in various situations. The invention is particularly applicable to the control of gas, say, for instance, carbon dioxide gas, and, as it has been successfully used in the control of carbon dioxide gas, I will confine this disclosure to such application. It is to be understood that the broader principles of the invention are not to be construed as limited to the details herein set forth.

The apparatus or system provided by the present invention is intended primarily to control a plurality of fire-extinguishing units, for instance, a plurality of units of carbon dioxide gas. Each unit to be controlled may include one or more containers 10 of gas equipped with control heads whereby the can be actuated electrically. The gas is usua 1y sealed in the containers under high ressure at which it is normally in the liquid state. The control heads 11 applied to the containers 10 ma be of any construction opreable electrica y to open the containers. For purpose of example, I will refer to the pztent to Johann issued May 29, 1928, Numr 1,671,368, entitled Electro-magnetic control for fluid containers, as disclosing one construction that may be used in the heads 11.

y In the particular arrangement illustrated the first unit of fire-extinguishing apparatus in- The control rovided by this invention includes a plurality of containers 10, while the other, or followm units, each comprise but one container 10. t will be obvious that any desired numberof containers can be included in each unit. It is to be understood, of course, that the units of fire-ex'tin maybe suitably connec with conduits 10 operable to deliver the gas to the desired point or points, say, ,for example, to a space or chamber 10". The space. 10" is-illustrated diagrammatically as a room, the walls 10' of which are provided with openings such as doors and windows 10. I

' eludes, genera y, a timer T controlling the automatically stopp' timer after a predeter i i ne operation, means energization of the fire-extinguishing units from a power circuit carried by lines control means C for starting operation of the timer, tha is, for starting operation of the actuatin motor M of the timer, means A for o rations of the B for dc-energizing the circuit throu h the control means 0 after a predetermin operation of the timer and various other features .and details, the immune of which will be hereinafter described:

In the preferred form of the invention the main power lines L are connected with the apparatusthrou h a main control switch S. One of the main 'nes L is connected through the switch S and a suitable connection 12 with abuss bar 13 in the timer. The other line L is connected with spaced contacts 14 in the timer through a connection 15, a re-. leasing switch 15', a connection 15", the control means C, a connection 16, the heads 11 controlling the fire-extinguishing units and connections 17 extending between the heads of the fire-extinguishing units to the several contacts 14.

The timer T includes the buss bar 13, contacts 14,, and motor M, above referred to, and is operable to successively connect the contacts 14 and the buss bar 13 to successive ly actuate the units of fire-extinguishing apparatus. The timer may be of any suitable type or design and may include various features of construction. In the case shown the timer includes contacts 18 for making connection between the contacts 14 and the bus tacts 18. The screw 19 is sup sirable to have a considerable time interval between the operation of each unit of fireextinguishin apparatus, and therefore it is referred to ave the screw 19 operate slowy. It is an object of the invention to mainishing apparatus tain a fire-extinguishing atmosphere in the s we 10 durin operation of the a paratus. n any particu ar case the timer 'I is set to operate the control heads 11 one after the other at such intervals as to compensate for leaka ofgas such as occurs at the doors or w ndows 10 or other such parts. To meet these conditions the drive'between the motor M and the screw 19 ma include a worm 21. on the motor shaft rive, and a worm wheel 22 mounted on a countershaft '23. A. pinion 24 is mounted on the countershaft and drivesfa gear 25 fixed on the screw 19. Q

The contact actuator is carried by a block 26 which carries a nut 27 through.

which the screw 19 0 rates. The block 26 is held against rotation b a guide rod 28 extending betweenthe on plates 20. 'Each contact 18 is insulated from the other electrical parts and is carried by rin arms 31 so that it can be moved to simu taneously engage a contact 14and a contact 32 on the buss bar 13. The contact actuator 30 is I carried by the block 26 so that it operates the contacts 18 into engagement with the contacts 14 and 32 in the manner just described. Further, the contact actuator 30 is normally set to hold the first contact 18 in position to close the circuit through the contact 14 of the first fire-extinguishing unit,

as shown throughout the drawings,so that the circuit through the heads 11 of the first fireextinguishin unit is closed upon actuation .of the contro means 0, the switch 15 being normally closed;

The control means the circuit through the timer T and the units of fire-extinguishing apparatus. In practice the control means may be advantageously connected between the connections 15 and-16.

In the drawings, I have shown the control means C including a manually o rable switch 36 and a thermostatic switch 3 The switches are connected between the connec-' tions 15 and 16 so that either one complete the circuit upon being closed.

The motor M of the timer is connected with the ower lines L so that it is under control of t e means C through a relay R. In the arran ement illustrated a connection 40 connects tween one of the lines L and one terminal of the motorM. The other line L is connected with the other terminal of the motor through a connection 41, relay R, and a connection 42 extending from the relay to the motor terminal. The connections 41 and 42 extend to spaced terminals or contacts in the relay.' The relay has a movable con- .tact 41' operable to close the circuit between the terminals. I y

The relay R is under control of the means C so that it operates to close the motor circuit when one of the switches of the control means 0 is closed. In the arrangement illustrated C operates to control ;he relay R has a winding W with one terninal connected with one of the lines L ahrough a connection 45 and the other terninal connected with the other line L hrou h aconnection 46, a release switch 47 1nd t e control means G. In the arrangenent shown the release switch 47, which is embodied in the timer, is connected in series n the connection 46. The connection 46 onnects with the connection 16 so that the :ircuit is completed through the means 1nd the connection the switch 15', and :onnection 15. The release switch 47 is nornall closed so that the winding W is eneru 11 either of the switches of the neans being closed.

The means provided for automatically itopping o ration of the timer after'a preletermin operation includes a control :witch 50 arranged in the timer to controlhe circuit of a release windin 51 in the -elay. The release winding 51 as one terninal connected with one ine L by a coniection and has the other terminal conlected with the other line L through a conlection 52 and the switch 50. When the vinding 51 is energized, the relay is opened :0 that the contact 41" is moved to open the notor circuit.

The switches 47 and 50 above descrlbed are :mbodied in the timer, the switch 4? being lormally closed and the swltch 50 bemg normally open. The switches have -movable arts or contacts adapted to be operated by he contact actuator 30 of the timer. The 'arts are related so that the contact actuator loses the switch 50 at the same time that it 'pens the switch 47 Closing of the swltch 0 energizes the, winding 51 so that the relay l is opened, while the openin of the switch 7 opens the circuit through t e winding f the relay. With this arrangement, it Wlll e apparent that the apparatus is automatiall stopped or cut out of operation after a etermined operation, for instance, after predetermined number of fire-extinguishag units have been operated or released.

It is to be understood, of course, that the riring system above described and illustratd in the diagram Fig. 4 is given merely to acilitate an understanding of a typical aplication of the invention. In practice the etails of the circuits may be varied and vaious refinements may be embodied in the sys- !m, for example, the relay R may be a standrd form of releasing relay embodying means 'hereby the windings are automatically denergized when the relay is released. In act, in Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown me exterior of a standard automatic releasig relay that I have used in carrying out 1e invention.

The releasing switch 15' in the circuit irough the control means C, heads 11, and mer T, may be incorporated in the relay R so that this circuit is opened when the relay winding 51 is ener 'zed and the movable contact 41- of the re ay operated to open the motor circuit. For urpose of illustration, I have shown a switc 15 having a movable contact normally in engagement with a stationary contact 91. Connection 15 extends to contact 90 while connection 15 extends to contact 91. A trip contact actuator 92 is movable with the contact 41 of the relay and operates to catch the contact 90 as the relay 0 oses and lifts the contact 90 away from the contact 91 as the rela opens.

In practice I provide an alarm in connection with the apparatus adapted to operate when the timer is in action. In the circuit illustrated a relay 60 is connected between the connections 40 and 42 of the motor circuitso that an alarm device 62 is set into 0 ration when the motor circuit is energized. I

e alarm device is shown connected in the motor M under control ofthe relay 60.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides apparatus which operates to automatically actuate or release the fire-extinguishing units one after the other or in succession and in a definite or predetermined timed relation. Further, it will be obvious how the apparatus operates to automatically cut out of operation after a predetermined operation.

Having described only a typical, preferred form of the invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the specific details set forth, but WlSh to reserve to myself any changes or variations that may appear to those skllled in the art or fall within the scope of the following claims:

Having described my invention,"I claim:

1. In combination, an enclosure to be protected and from which gas has limited egress, a supply of fire-extinguishing gas, means responslve to a temperature corresponding to fire conditions in the enclosure for initially discharging a portion of the gas into the enclosure to establish a fire-extinguishin atmosphere therein, and means acting 10 lowing operation of the first mentioned means to subsequently discharge other portions of the gas into the enclosure at predetermined intervals of time so that a fire-extinguishing atmosphere is maintained in the enclosure.

2. In combination, an enclosure to be protected and from which gas has limited egress, a plurality of containers carrying fire-extinguishing gas, means res onsive to a temperature corresponding to re conditions in the enclosure for releasing an amount of the gas into the enclosure to establish a fire-extinishing atmosphere therein, and a control or subsequently releasing gas from the containers into the enclosure at spaced intervals of time relative to the time of operation of the first mentioned means to maintain a fireextinguishing atmosphere in the enclosure.

4 memos 3. In combination, an enclosure to the pro-. tested and from which gas has limited egress, a supply of fire-ext hing means for dischar g an initill l charge said gas into 5 the one osure to establish a fire-cxtingmshing atmosghere, and control means for controlling e discharge of subsequent discharges of said gas into the enclosure including a timer for the control means ut into 1 operation upon the first mention means being actuated so that the subsequent charges are controlled to enter the enclosure at predetermined time intervals followin the discharge of the initial charge into e enclosure.

4. In combination, an enclosure to be protected and from which gas has egress, a plurality of containers of fire-extinguishing gas, electrically controlled means in connection with the containers controlling the discharge of gas from the containers to the enclosure, and an electrical control for said means whereby an initial charge of gas is discharged into the enclosure to establish a fireas extinguishing atmosphere and a subsequent charge is discharged intothe enclosure at a predetermined time after the initial charge to maintain a fire-extinguishing atmosphere in the enclosure. l0 5. In combination, an enclosure to be protected and from which gas has limited a plurality of containers of fire-extin gas, electrically controlled means in connection with' the containers controlling the dis- 85 charge of gas from'the containers to the enclosure, and an electrical control for said means wherebi an initial charge of gasis discharged into t e enclosure to establish a fireextinguishing atmosphere and a subsequent (0 charge is discharged into the enclosure at a predetermined time after the initial charge to maintain a fire-extinguishing atmosphere in theienclo'sure, the electrical control'includm a lmer,

45 witness thatI claimtheforegoingI have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of February, 1929. V MAYNARD A; LASWELL. 

